Mon Purse pieces are ideal for bridal party gifts to the bridesmaids from the bride and groom. These beauties check every box: They’re made of premium European leather which is both sturdy and soft and produced using environmentally friendly processes. They are genuine luxury goods, but won’t break the bank. They are the perfect thank you gift to your bridesmaids because they will actually get used for months and even years after the event. Mon Purse even makes it possible to design your wedding logo into the monogram if you really want to commemorate the occasion. But best of all, you can give all your bridesmaids the same thing but perfectly customised to their tastes.

Like Paperlust, Mon Purse gives its customers complete control over the design process. Their online tool walks you through each step, letting you see exactly how each option looks on the bag, purse or clutch. Not only can you monogram the piece with up to eight characters, but you can also choose tonnes of other things. What size would you like? Do you want a wrist strap? Fringing? Metal studs? What finish would you like the leather to have? What colour leather? (There are over thirty to choose from!) What colour suede lining inside? Would you like your metal details in gold, silver, rose gold or gunmetal? The choices seem endless, but the fully interactive preview tool makes it easy to decide what you like and what options go together best.

We’re not the only ones who love Mon Purse. The company is quickly taking the world by storm, with Mon Purse products and in-store monogramming now available in Bloomingdales NY, and Selfridges London and Manchester. If you’re lucky enough to live in one of these wonderful cities, it’s even easier to get your hands on them!

For this collaboration, we wanted to focus on all the things Paperlust and Mon Purse have in common: we love personalisation, we love colour, and we love gold detailing! It just makes sense to match your invitations to your bridesmaid gifts in this way, since it will remind them of the big day every time they use it. You can match the entire colour scheme, or just stick to a few details like we have here and leave the colour to what you know your friends will love most. Since gold just screams luxury, it’s perfect for the little details, whether that’s a raised foil heading on a menu or the zipper and monogram on your custom leather pouch.

We love Mon Purse, and we’re pretty sure that after looking at all this eye candy, you will too.

The post Paperlust loves Mon Purse appeared first on Paperlust.

Create beautiful wedding websites to share extra details with your guests

We know that sometimes putting too much information on our invitations can at times look, well messy. Having a wedding website allows you to share all those extra details about your wedding such as accommodation details, pre and post wedding functions and on the day schedules.

Joy’s beautifully-designed wedding websites let you put everything about your wedding in one place, from engagement photos and the story of how you and your fiance met, to your wedding schedule, to a Q&A and travel tips for your guests. It’s user-friendly design makes it easy to add as many details as your heart desires.

Organise your invite list, take RSVPs and communicate with your guests

Joy’s wedding guest list tool allows you to manage all the details of your big day. Create custom RSVP question, track responses and organize guests with labels. The labeling feature allows you to organize guests into groups such as “Bridal Party” or “Out of Town Guests,” so you can control which guests see which events on your wedding schedule. Having a rehearsal dinner with just close family and friends? Set the event so that only those labeled as rehearsal dinner attendees can see it, and avoid hurt feelings from the rest of your guests.

The tool allows you to import or export spreadsheets which is great if you want to add address printing or guest names to your printed Paperlust invitations, or for on the day stationery such as our place cards and seating charts.

Send digital save the dates (NEW!)

Our partnership with Joy also means that for the first time you can send a selected range of electronic save-the-dates via Joy, using Paperlust designs. We have had so many requests over the years to add this functionality, and now thanks to our new partnership you can send an electronic version of our amazing save the dates and also get matching printed invitations.

Put your registry information all in one place

Joy allows you to highlight all of your registries in one place. This includes retail registries, your wishing well, charities, and more. Add cash registries (such as PayPal, Venmo, or Honeyfund) and include a note to your guests about the amazing things their gift will contribute to. Once again, this is great to be able to remove this information from your Paperlust printed invitation. It is considered poor etiquette to include gift registry URLs on your wedding invitations.

There is an app for that? Joy’s App allows you to keep everyone up-to-date

Joy’s free mobile app allows you to stay connected to your guests. Send push notifications with wedding updates to guests, give guests all the wedding information they need at their fingertips, and enable photo-sharing to collect guests’ photos in one shared album on your wedding website. Guests can even hail a ride with Uber or Lyft directly from the app, without having to enter the venue address.

Available for Android and iOS Joy’s app is simple clean and great.

The post Wedding Websites to match your invitations – Paperlust partners with Joy to bring you free matching wedding websites appeared first on Paperlust.

If you’re looking for wedding dresses – Melbourne is the dream: There are a tonne of stunning bridal shops Melbourne wide, from Sydney Road to Armadale and even out in the suburbs. From vintage wedding dresses Melbourne to the most sleek, contemporary designer dresses Melbourne, there’s something for every bride.

Bridalwear designers and personalised wedding dress boutiques are at the forefront of wedding fashion, with their finger on the pulse creating and selling the dresses of our dreams. They know better than anyone what’s becoming more popular, and what will be happening at weddings in coming years.

We spoke to 7 of the best bridal designers and bridal stores Melbourne to find out what’s going to be big in the 2018 wedding season. Different bridal stores and designers cater to different parts of the market, so will see different wedding trends among their clientele, but a number of things came up again and again as we chatted with these experts. Some of the things that came up repeatedly? Sleeves, sheer fabric, black, and comfort.

Whether you want to stay right on trend or you want to know what’s popular so you can do something that stands out from the crowd, read on to find out more.

Gwendolynne

Gwendolynne Burkin of Gwendolynne designs stunning dresses that bring timeless beauty to contemporary designs, and are all about your personalised wedding dress allowing you to be “you” rather than “a bride”. Many of her pieces really do have the potential to be worn more than once. “I always say why invest in having something so beautiful crafted for you that you can’t wear more than once?” Gwendolynne has been in the industry since she was 14, and ‘Gwendolynne’ was launched in 1997, becoming one of Melbourne’s best-known couture gown labels.

Gwendolynne is unique because she has one to one contact with her clients: “When you come to Gwendolynne you aren’t meeting “bridal consultants”, you meet the people that make the pieces including myself. We are tucked away in the backstreets of Fitzroy doing our own thing rather than being part of Melbourne’s Sydney Road/ Armadale bridal circuit. That way in this location we can also manufacture on site, which is a real rarity. You can actually come upstairs and meet the person making your gown or see where it’s made!”

What does Gwendolynne see trending in 2018? It’s all about the sleeves: “Oh my if I had a dollar for the amount of sleeve requests!” however she warns that this can be a tricky look to pull off: “I find a lot of brides find it “too much” when they see this look on them…sleeves can actually make one’s silhouette look fuller in the light bridal shades people prefer for weddings.”

The mermaid silhouette is out: “Many years ago when I started my bridal range I resisted full skirts but as a designer I’m feeling there will be a return in a few years…Most of my clients tend to be amused by the mermaid look and realize how completely unflattering it is on most women.”

Sheer dresses with nude slips are increasingly popular. “It looks like the gown is effortlessly skimming a bare body. I love this look it often allows the true beauty of the lace or embellishment to pop aesthetically.”

Touches of blue are trending, people are using their dresses to celebrate their tattoos (instead of hiding them), and people are moving back to veils after years of flower crowns being in vogue.

Despite all this, Gwendolynne encourages women to do what feels truly ‘them’. “There are always people selling trends because offering new looks assists to sells magazines and advertising space. But generally I find trends aren’t what brides really want.There’s a LOT of influence & opinions thrown at brides from others, but generally I find girls really look for something that “feels” them and if you are an individual with a true sense of self being trendy might not be important to you. Feeling special and beautiful and comfortable is really the main goal.”

You can find Gwendolynne at 71 Kerr Street, Fitzroy.

Anna Campbell Boutique

Anna Campbell is Creative Director and Head Designer at Anna Campbell. The label is well known for stunning vintage-inspired hand beading and silk bows, with luxurious, feminine gowns that have a distinctive romantic feel. The business recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, so it’s one of the most recognisable names in bridal gowns Melbourne has to offer.

Anna says 2018 will be all about silk bows and lace detailing: “Definitely the theme of botanical-inspired laces, bows and flowing silk skirts embroidered with delicate lace details are trends that we continue to see from lots of different designers’ collections at the moment. Being a brand that has always made a feature of our own classic silk bows, we love the romance of these details!” Anna also calls attention to a trend in wedding bouquets: “Outside of bridal fashion, we are also seeing a lot of brides choosing to carry beautiful lush foliage and natives, instead of the traditional bridal bouquet too!”

But Anna is careful to remind us that there’s no need to chase trends, and that your big day should be all about you and your personal style. It’s always better to focus on quality than just what’s on trend, and Anna Campbell dresses are designed with that in mind:  “Generally speaking, we have never been an ‘on trend’ label, and pay little attention to what is currently on trend and what isn’t! We will always be Australian made, hand finished in house, and we will always use luxury fabrics, including silks, stunning laces, and intricate breathtaking bead work. I think that is the perfect recipe for what a bride wants.”

You can find the flagship Anna Campbell Boutique at 1143 High Street, Armadale.

*Photos provided by Anna Campbell.

Belle et Blanc

Belle et Blanc is a bridal boutique in Brunswick that stocks a huge range of bridal dresses in all different styles, from princess gowns to mermaid dresses to sheath dresses, and everything in between. Their focus is on providing premium dresses at an affordable price, with attention to detail and providing an amazing one-on-one consultation experience.

What trends in bridal dresses Melbourne are Belle et Blanc seeing for 2018? Volume is going to be king, with “cascading ruffles creating effortless volume with horsehair and soft tulle” (for the wedding dress newbies among us, horsehair doesn’t mean literal hair from horses! It’s a type of material that is quite stiff which can be used to create shapes and volume). Elizabethan style bodices with exposed boning will also be popular, elongating the narrowest part of the body for a sophisticated look. “We absolutely love the subtle sheerness, creating a glamorous sex appeal without actually exposing any skin”. Finally, beading and an all-over ‘bejewelled’ look will be sought after. This look has already proven to be very popular in Belle et Blanc’s 2018 SS collection. Fit and Flare gowns with crystal beading all over even on to the train will be popular, with over the top glamour, dazzling from head to toe.

You can find Belle et Blanc Bridal Boutique at 480 Sydney Road, Brunswick.

Fiona Claire

Fiona Claire specialises in wedding dresses for the understated, refined and effortlessly sophisticated modern bride. Admired for their beautiful fit and refined, understated aesthetic, Fiona Claire dresses are curated with a focus on helping brides to feel confident and empowered. Designer Fiona Green has over 25 years experience in the bridal industry, and her work speaks for itself, with stunning silhouettes and luxury materials.

Fiona tells us that comfortable, non-traditional wedding dresses are gaining popularity and will be huge in 2018: “With weddings having a more relaxed approach, there is a push towards ‘un-bridal’ looks for gowns. More brides are moving away from the traditional wedding gowns, and are wanting to look and feel like themselves on their big day. Comfort is also important, as well as natural fabrics such as silks.”

You can find Fiona Claire in Richmond, by appointment only.

Silvana Tedesco

Silvana Tedesco is the head designer and Creative Director of Silvana Tedesco. She has had her own label for 6 years and has been in the wedding industry for even longer: since she got her start working part time for a major Australian bridal house when she was just 16 years old. The rest, as they say, is history. Silvana Tedesco specialises in couture gowns, all designed by Silvana herself and made by her talented team in Hawthorn, Melbourne.

Silvana loves to take risks when creating new styles, blending tradition with the catwalk to create very fashion forward styles. She loves creating different things which you can’t find everywhere. “I love it when a client gives me an awesome “freedom to design” brief! My number one thing is making sure my client loves who she is in her gown – it’s super rewarding when she sees herself for the first time in her finished gown. It’s absolutely heart warming.”

So what does Silvana see trending in 2018? “I think sheer and 3D floral work will still be strong! It hasn’t seemed to have died off yet ! A lot of modern cuts as well are coming through with little embellishment (which I love)”. Sleeves get another mention as a big 2018 trend: “Sleeves are huge and I think they will continue to be seen – in all different shapes and sizes too!” Silvana also agrees that black is a growing trend: “Black wedding dresses will definitely be strong (more and more brides are requesting black) You can notice in the market designers are branching out and really breaking the rules when it comes to black.”

You can find Silvana Tedesco at 142 Auburn Road, Hawthorn.

Designer Bridal House

Designer Bridal House is a bridal boutique that stocks local and international wedding dresses. Their focus is on classic but modern dresses, with unique and contemporary gowns in stock. They have a huge focus on customer service and luxurious one-on-one consultations for brides of all shapes and sizes to find the perfect wedding dress.

What do they see trending in 2018 and beyond? They agree that sleeves are going to be big (literally and figuratively!): “It’s still all about the sleeves in 2018! Especially the off the shoulder sleeves, and bell sleeves are still very much the sought after look. Trendy and daring brides will also be rocking the exaggerated, oversized flowy sleeves as it will be one of 2018’s biggest bridal trends.” They also foresee a lot of black: “Black accents are back. You will see lots of black belts, black florals and even black wedding dresses on the runway!”

You can find Designer Bridal House at 602 Sydney Road, Brunswick.

So there we have it. 2018 promises to be a stellar year in weddings, and we can’t wait to see all the stunning dresses and other wedding details brides are choosing! Thanks so much to all the Melbourne wedding dresses stores and designers for being so willing to chat with us about this, and for allowing us to take photos in your boutiques. We really believe that wedding dress shops Melbourne wide are some of the best in the world, and we’re excited to share your work!

Oh, and if you’ve already got your wedding dress sorted, these stores and designers may also be able to help you find bridesmaid dresses Melbourne, flower girl dresses Melbourne and other event dresses. Any excuse to wear one of these lovely pieces is a good one!

The post Wedding dress trend forecast according to Melbourne’s top designers & stores appeared first on Paperlust.

About Moira

Moira Hughes has a celebrated past in fashion design, starting when she graduated from fashion school in London with top honours. On the back of the reputation earned there, she spent time working with some of the top designers in London and Ireland, and showcased a bridal collection at London Fashion Week before moving to Australia.

Since making her home here in Australia, Moira has designed wedding dresses out of her boutique in Sydney, dressing brides at some of the most stunning weddings and events in Australia.

Moira Hughes features only the finest materials and techniques in her work, using specialist silks and laces exclusively from London, Paris & Milan. She was the first in Australia to incorporate innovative Parisienne Corsetry techniques into her design. Basically, she’s an expert at her craft, and it shows.

Moira’s style is inspired by the female form and the emotion that comes with the wedding day. Whether form-fitting or flowing, her dresses are always carefully constructed around the body to offer both support and movement. They are designed to make brides feel as amazing as they look, and to capture the love, excitement, nerves and beauty of walking down the aisle towards the love of your life.

The name ‘Moira Hughes’ might sound familiar. She’s been featured in magazines and on websites everywhere. Think Hello May, White Magazine, Vogue, Your Day, Bride To Be Magazine, Cosmopolitan Bride, Harper’s Bazaar Bride, and the Wedding Styling Handbook by Modern Wedding, just to name a few. If you’ve spent any time reading about weddings, you’ve probably seen her name pop up at least once or twice.

Oh, and if you watched The Bachelorette finale last year, you’re already familiar with her work. Georgia Love’s beautiful Cinderella-inspired dress was created for the big occasion by Moira Hughes. The gown stole the show and received a whole lot of press for its modern fairytale quality.

Up next for Moira is a trip to New York to showcase her 2018 collection at New York Bridal Week alongside big names like Vera Wang and Jimmy Choo. Basically, the world loves her work as much as we do.

About the process

Choosing wedding stationery has a lot in common with choosing your wedding dress: it’s a once-in-a-lifetime purchase that you usually make right at the start of wedding planning. Both choices have a huge influence on the rest of your day, and once you choose them everything else starts to come into focus. Both your wedding dress and wedding stationery are usually kept for decades after your wedding to bring your memories flooding back anytime you look at them. Needless to say, Moira understands the wedding dress side of this better than anyone.

“A wedding invitation sets the feel for your wedding so it is important to make the right impression! Your guests will often receive it months in advance, so it needs to be worthy of display and set the tone for the best day of your life,” says Moira.

With such a deep understanding of what brides are looking for, and such an eye for beautiful details, it was always going to go well when Moira decided to turn her talents to a stationery line. Moira worked with our print design experts to turn her vision into reality, starting with an inspiration board filled with beautiful textures, colours and design details.

Our designers worked with Moira to pick the best elements of the inspiration and pull it all together into some key pieces. A few versions later, and together we had refined the final set into something that is a beautiful representation of Moira’s unique modern twist on a timeless design.

Working with someone who has so much talent and experience in a whole other field of design was an absolute delight, and resulted in some amazing work (if we do say so ourselves!).

About the design

It’s easy to tell from Moira’s final wedding invitation set that she is used to working with fabrics, lace, silk and beads: the play of different textures is breathtaking! The combination of matte paper, metallic foil details, smooth white ink and translucent paper creates a rich palette of textures, and the layering of invitations, detail cards, belly bands and envelopes adds physical depth.

The moody black, blue, gold and ivory colour palette is sophisticated and regal and the script typeface is feminine and flowing. Remind you of anything? Moira’s aesthetic is all over this and we love it! Sending out a wedding invitation sets the tone for your big day and gives guests a sneak peek of what is to come. We can’t think of any better tone than that.

The entire set is designed to mix and match, so whether you just need invites and RSVP cards or you want every card possible, you’ll have a classic, beautiful invitation suite that will have everyone desperate to see what comes next.

We hope you love this Moira Hughes wedding invitation line as much as we do! We loved working with her and it really shows in the finished product.

The set is available to purchase on site here.

Visit Moira Hughes for wedding dresses that are just as dreamy as these invitations.

Photos of Moira and her studio from Jimmy Raper Photography

The post Paperlust collaborates with NY bridal fashion week designer Moira Hughes appeared first on Paperlust.

What are Westpac’s 200 Businesses of Tomorrow?

A high profile independent panel selected Westpac’s Businesses of Tomorrow for “their potential to shape Australia’s future”, and for demonstrating the following qualities “to an exceptional degree:

• A track record of delivery
• Clarity of purpose and vision
• Outstanding value to customers
• Capability to meet tomorrow’s challenges
• Adaptability and resilience
• Contribute beyond the business to the community, industry or the economy”

The award also recognises ingenuity and problem-solving. “What the top businesses had in common was this unique insight into a problem or opportunity that someone wasn’t solving or wasn’t solving in a way that was getting to the nub of what consumers were looking for,” says Simon Cant, Co-Founder & MD Reinventure Group.

Westpac announced the award winners at an awards ceremony held in Sydney last Friday, 7th April 2017.

What this means for Paperlust

We know we’ve got something special happening here at Paperlust, but it’s great to have experts agree. Not only were we selected for the recognition, but Westpac chose us to print the certificates for the awards using our premium digital and letterpress printing technique. It’s hard to get a more clear endorsement than that!

We’re excited about continuing to help independent designers get premium products to customers looking for the best.

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